Thrown Off the Scentipede
by ScorplinginTraining
Summary: When he's lost it all, who can Walter turn to?
1. Chapter 1

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

 **AN: I'm still mad. So I had Cabe say what I want to say. I feel a little better now.**

 **oooooooooo**

Agent Cabe Gallo burst into the conference room unannounced and uninvited during Team Centipede's morning brainstorming and progress meeting.

He'd never been known for his subtlety.

"Congratulations," he barked at the room at large, "You're looking at your new Homeland Security handler."

Paige, ever the liaison, recovered first. "Welcome, Cabe. Have a seat. We were just about to…"

"Can it with the formalities. I'm here under duress and you know it." He glared at everyone as he pulled one of the perfectly-matched rolling chairs out and dropped unceremoniously into the seat. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow, daring anyone in the room to taunt him. "You've got me. For now."

"So I'm guessing there's no bagels today, huh, roomie?" Happy teased with a touch of sarcasm thrown in for good measure.

Toby raised his hand and waved it around. "Ooo! Ooo! Ooo!"

Paige smiled indulgently at his antics. "Yes, Toby? Did you have something you wanted to say?"

"Good catch, boss. What gave it away? I just want to know, since he's here under duress, can we treat the new guy as a hostile source?" The shrink jerked a thumb in Cabe's direction while everyone else smirked.

"Sly, I think that's a question for our legal council. What do you say?"

"He looks pretty hostile to me," The company lawyer answered Paige drolly.

Cabe clenched his jaw and took several deep breaths. "I only wish I had three extra feet," he ground out under his breath.

"What was that, Old Man?" Happy asked, her eyes twinkling at the agent.

Toby intoned, "Wait for it…"

"I _said_ , I wish I had three extra feet."

"Here it comes…" The shrink interrupted with almost gleeful anticipation.

"…so I'd have enough to break one off in each of your asses."

They all chuckled good-naturedly. They'd missed the grumpy father-figure of their old team.

He lapsed into a steely silence as Paige went over the minutes for the last meeting and read over the list of successfully completed contracts and clients asking for repeat business. She noticed right away Cabe didn't relax one iota.

He didn't share in their banter. He didn't make suggestions. He didn't contribute to the conversation at all. He just sat there, blue eyes stone cold and hard, like an ancient glacier.

She allowed her tone to soften and addressed him directly. "Hey, c'mon, Cabe. I know it's an adjustment. I get that. But if you'll just get on board and give it a chance, you'll realize we're still the same team you've worked with for the last four years."

The older man's eyes widened and he looked at her with a sneer. "No. This is _not_ the same team. Not at all. And if Homeland hadn't forced me, I wouldn't be here now. I would've never left Walter on his own like this."

"Well, he still has his intellectual girlfriend Flo for company," Paige retorted acerbically. "They can have all the stimulating conversations they like."

"He deserves it," Sylvester muttered in belligerent solidarity.

Cabe shot out of his seat. Pressing his palms flat on the table, he stared down the nervous mathematician like a cobra. "You really think he deserves this?"

There were nods and shrugs all around the table.

Cabe laughed mirthlessly, shaking his head. "You are not the people I thought you were. Maybe you never were." He sat back down and swiveled his chair part way away from them, half facing the window. Tension radiated off of him in waves.

Everyone started talking at once.

"He _lied_ to me. He snuck around with another woman." "He's such a swell-headed, arrogant jerk." "I tried to tell him and he wouldn't listen." "He stole Florence right out from under my nose." "He's so immature. I couldn't take it anymore." "I didn't want to have to deal with his megalomaniac personality another second." "He blew up the whole team because he was being stubborn and stupid." "He essentially called me a baby when he's the one who needs to grow up." "He called us know-it-alls…"

"Enough!" Cabe roared over all the arguments. Standing up again, he started pacing the room, too agitated to keep still until he could shoot them all down one by one.

"Paige, I'll start with you since you're the boss lady now. He doesn't have Florence or anyone else. Her funding came through and she moved to New Mexico three weeks ago to oversee mass production of her chemical compound. He hasn't heard from her since. The only reason she worked with Scorpion in the first place was because she felt bad about her role in the disintegration of Walter's whole world."

Paige snorted and rolled her eyes. "So? It's his turn for a long distance relationship then. They probably Skype every night and talk dirty about formulas…"

Cabe's eyes became impossibly more flinty. "Nope. Walter hasn't spoken to her. I have. That's how I know. And as for the lying? It was my understanding you taught him it was okay to lie to spare someone's feelings. That you even complimented him when he did it. Told him you were proud of him for it. Am I wrong about that?"

Paige looked taken aback. "Well, no. But he should have known…"

"How? He trusted you to tell him what was appropriate. To help him translate the world, remember? But I guess that went out the window somewhere along the line. Maybe sometime between that time when he rescued you from a dead-end job at a diner, brought your son out of his shell and loved him like his father never did, and the time when you split up with him and threw his every fault in his face in front of everyone."

As Paige sputtered, Cabe halted and turned toward Sylvester. The mathematician cringed under his scrutiny. "And you. Walter never told me where he found you. I just figured it was no place good. All these years, he's protected you and been proud of you and your progress. Even called you brother."

When Sly opened his mouth to protest, Cabe went on, "I know. Sometimes he's bullied you or goaded you into doing things. Mostly for your own benefit. But he also was sympathetic about your anxiety issues and let you hang back on a few cases too. Because he cares about you. Am I right?"

"I guess so," Sylvester admitted grudgingly.

"Oh, and I overheard part of his latest conversation with his parents. It seems you filled them in on the happenings around the garage. Guess whose side they're on? They read him the riot act for ten whole minutes. Listing all his faults for him as if he couldn't remember the list Paige already gave him. They made sure he understood how disappointed they are in him. It was made crystal clear who they would rather have for a son too. But you can't relate to how it feels to be a constant disappointment to your father or anything, right?"

"And, so what? He called you a baby and was friendly with a woman he didn't even know you were interested in, who you'd never asked out, and who he was unaware had feelings for him."

Sylvester's mouth snapped shut. His brow puckered above his glasses and it was obvious he was blinking back tears. He twisted his pen's cap around and around restlessly.

Cabe wasn't near done. Not even close. He rounded on Toby and Happy.

Pointing at Toby's face as the shrink drew a breath to say something, Cabe said, "Shut it, Doc. You're gonna hear me out. I know Walter rescued you from a pit boss back in the day. Gave you a job and another chance. He noticed your gifts when your family failed to even see you. You repay him with condescension because you feel threatened by him. It's always been a pissing contest between you two. Like two brothers always trying to one up each other. And you're constantly giving him conflicting advice. I can only assume to confuse the hell out of him. Well, it worked. You won. Are you proud that a genius behaviorist can mess with the mind of someone who has trouble relating to other people and understanding his own emotions? And you ditched him because…? He called you a know-it-all and he's annoying? I got news for you, Toby. You're a little tough to take at times too."

Cabe spoke right over Toby's attempts to defend his actions and the agent's gaze bored directly into Happy's next. "You're more like him than anyone else in this room. I thought you guys understood each other. You were lucky enough to fall for a guy who understands how you think. Walter wasn't so lucky. Yes, he's stubborn. Yes, he doesn't listen. But I know someone else who has a hard time with advice. Someone who can erupt into anger when she feels like someone is interfering in her business. Being married has softened you up some, but suppose you were unsure about Toby's feelings for you. Wouldn't you throw up a defensive shield when people challenged how you handle your relationship?"

The older man looked around at every stunned face. "Did any of you hear he had to put the garage up for sale?" There was a collective gasp, then Cabe went on, "Due to what amounts to legal corporate espionage on Team Centipede's part, all his jobs dried up. When Florence left town, Homeland refused to let me be a handler to a contracted group of one, so they gave me the choice to transfer to you guys or quit. Carson still hates us. He's very pleased the team split up. So, Scorpion no longer has any government gigs. And since Walter gave up those last few payments Scorpion collected, the ones that could've been used to get the company back in the black, to help with Happy and Toby's fertility treatments and the mortgage was already underwater, well, he lost it all."

"So I'd like you all to tell me something. Was it worth it? Is it _really_ what he deserves? To be told he's not good enough and doesn't have the potential to ever improve? To lose his business? His home? His family? The friends he saw as family? The boy he considers a son? The only love he's ever known? Because he lied? Because he's irritating? Because he's clueless? Because he said a few mean things when he was humiliated and hurt? I may not be a genius, but I personally think the punishment didn't fit the crimes in this case."

All the fight seemed to drain out of Cabe as he sank down onto his chair, sighing and turning his face back toward the windows.

The silence in the room was deafening.

Shaking his head sadly, Cabe added more to himself than to the group, "What's worse? I'm worried that creep Collins has reached out to him."

"Oh, no," Paige breathed, her voice shaky.

Looking defeated, Cabe explained so softly the team had to lean in to hear, "The computer you guys set up to track Collins pinged one day and the very next day I saw an email up on Walt's computer. I just caught a glimpse, but the gist was Collins was proven right by all this crap. Being human was a mistake. Blah, blah, blah. You know how manipulative that bastard can be. You can understand why Walter might listen, don't you? He's vulnerable right now and he has no one else to turn to."

 **P.S. This story has potential to be a multi-chapter monster. Let me know if you're interested in more via review.**


	2. Chapter 2

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

 **AN: One thing I can say about that 'crap pile' of a finale, it has a lot of us in a writing frenzy. (not a group of sharks - See? I can't help stating facts either)**

 **I have to say fan fiction is keeping me going right now. So big thank you's to all the wonderful authors in this fandom. You rock!**

 **Also, a huge thanks to the reviewers! All I can say is "wow!" Apparently a lot of us needed Cabe to go off on Team Centipede. I SO appreciate the encouragement. It keeps me motivated.**

 **ooooooooooo**

"Just give me a sec."

Paige felt Sylvester drop a hand on her shoulder as she closed her eyes, resting her forehead on the steering wheel.

Her pulse was racing double-time. She needed to calm down.

She couldn't remember why she thought bringing Sly along with her was a good idea. If anything, he was shaking and falling apart more than her.

She had no idea why she was so nervous. This wasn't the first time she'd seen Walter since… everything. It wasn't like she was going in alone either.

Oh, yeah. _That's_ why she brought Sylvester.

Paige didn't want to show up alone. Didn't want to find herself in a room alone with Walter.

She'd considered bringing Toby, but his relationship with Walter had always been more contentious than anyone else's and Sly was like the Switzerland of Scorpion. He normally got along with everyone.

Plus, the big man had been so upset, felt so guilty, after Cabe's tirade. It was obvious he hadn't slept since. Sly couldn't hold a grudge if his life depended on it. He, more than anyone, needed to make amends with the man he'd spent so many years loving and admiring like a big brother.

Sitting in her car outside the place she'd spent both some of the happiest and most awful moments of her entire life, Paige was having trouble drumming up the courage to actually walk inside.

Okay, what was the worst thing that could happen? Walter could yell at her and tell her to get out? Sticks and stones…

Or maybe she'd find a broken wreck of a man she still cared deeply about. Maybe her own harsh words would echo around and around in her head as he looked at her from hollow eyes, completely crushed in spirit.

She felt sick and had to take in rapid gulps of air to combat the nausea.

No matter how hard it was for her, no matter his faults and mistakes, she could never live with herself if Walter became a casualty of Collins because of her.

Time to face the music.

"Let's go," Paige said bracingly, hoping to bolster not only Sylvester, but herself.

The door still creaked loudly when they entered. Some things never change. The smell was the same too. Boy, did it ever stir up the memories as well. It was a combination of grease, electronic devices, a hint of old tires lurking around, books and… him. Her heart lurched painfully.

Paige had been fiddling around with her keys and her purse and hadn't yet looked around until she noticed Sylvester go suddenly still beside her.

She didn't know what she'd been expecting. Black crepe draped over the windows? A thick coating of dust and an air of neglect? A lonely Walter sitting forlornly behind his desk fighting for composure as he surveyed the empty desks?

It was nothing like that.

The main room looked stark and huge with the absence of everyone's desks and personal items. There was no sign of Proton Arnold or the mounted shark's head. Gone were the cheery flowers on the window sill. The neon Scorpion Explosives sign was no longer in evidence.

There was a single desk in the center of the room. A white board stood sentinel beside it, angled between the desk and the door. Neatly stacked boxes lined the wall where Toby's yellow and orange surfboard once leaned.

Her throat felt tight as her eyes searched the almost vacant room that once rang with camaraderie, conversations and laughter and the noises from Happy's loudly banging hammers and sizzling torches. The quiet felt cloying and stagnant by contrast.

Christmases, Thanksgivings, celebrations, movie nights, fights, tears, proposals, ferrets…dancing, kissing, _loving_. It all came rushing back, threatening to flatten her where she stood.

Paige couldn't breathe and was glad for Sylvester's trembling yet steadying presence at her side.

She spied a familiar pair of legs. Walter was standing behind that white board.

Fighting the dizzying wave of nostalgia, Paige took a deep breath, then another and approached with caution, dragging Sylvester along with her.

They rounded the desk.

And there he was.

Walter stood at the board, tapping a marker against his bottom lip. He was wearing what looked to be a freshly starched and ironed oxford shirt, a tie precisely knotted around his neck. He was muttering something to himself. It appeared he'd lost a few pounds, but other than that, he looked to be in prime health. And he was as sickeningly attractive as ever. The jolt that realization caused left her feeling more than a little bitter.

Words stuck in her dry throat and Sly must have been similarly affected. Walter turned toward them when the mathematician cleared his throat.

Walter's lack of reaction shook her. He looked at the pair of them with casual arrogance and mildly interested raised eyebrows before turning the board around and switching his monitor off.

"If you're here for your things, I have them sorted and packed over there." He indicated the stacks of boxes where Toby's desk used to be. "They are labeled with your names. I thought it would be more efficient if you didn't have to rummage around. I could've had them shipped to you, but, as you know, I've had some cash flow issues recently and it wasn't on my list of top priorities."

He was as emotionless as an android. She wanted to scream at him. Or hug him. Anything to make him drop the cold mask.

"H-hello, Walter," She managed instead.

He let his eyes glance briefly skyward. "I'm aware you prefer a different greeting. But that no longer concerns me. If there's nothing else, I'd like to get back to work now."

Sly finally chimed in, "W-we came to see how you're doing."

Walter's lips tightened almost imperceptibly at the corners. "As you can tell, I'm perfectly fine. Just busy." He crossed his arms and looked at them with vague impatience.

"Busy doing what?" Paige asked, a note of pleading she hated in her voice. "Have you been packing? Did you find a buyer for the garage? Do you need any help?"

Sighing, he answered, his tone sounding faintly bored, "As it happens, I have a… benefactor. My debts have been liquidated. He has me working on something theoretical. Another reason you really need to go. If Sylvester sees my work, Team Centipede might be tempted to steal it for profit." He eyed Sly up and down rudely, "With his photographic memory, even someone like you can understand my concerns. Please feel free to collect your belongings. Then I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I don't have time for idle chit-chat. I need to get back to work."

The younger man was clearly devastated by Walter's attitude. Paige was itching to slap the superior look off of his face as she led the shuffling and sniffling Sylvester over to the pile of boxes. She might've done it if she didn't feel at least partially responsible.

Paige brooded as she searched for and quickly found her things tidily organized in a file box. It contained every coffee mug, every nearly empty bottle of shampoo, every tube of eye liner, every stray sock, every tampon, every snapshot and every stupid pen she'd ever left at the garage. Underneath it all was a folded up ugly, green Christmas sweater.

' _You need a little silly in your life_.' A smile that was gorgeous and just a touch unsure.

It left her aching with regret.

Then it struck her.

Collins. Of course.

Walter's rapid regression had that maniac's fingerprints all over it.

She left Sylvester to find his own belongings and walked back over to Walter with a nonchalance she didn't begin to feel.

"Yes?" He inquired tersely.

Paige was done prevaricating. "Is this sponsor of yours none other than that crackpot Collins?"

His eyes cut briefly to the side. "It's no longer your business with whom I associate and I'm not answerable to you anymore," he stated, confirming her worst fears with his non-answer. "And if you're capable of being completely honest and unemotional about it, you have to admit Mark was right about a lot of things. For example, fruit punch and fermented fish? While there isn't anything wrong with either of them by themselves, you wouldn't necessarily want to mix them up together. The combination would be unappetizing at its best, noxious at its worst. I'd say he accurately predicted more than one extinction event too, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, Walter," Paige whispered, feeling the tear in her heart rend just a little bit more. "You can't believe he's right about everything."

He made no reply. Just stood there looking directly into her eyes, his expression blank.

Paige had lost a lot of her credibility due to the nasty things she'd said to Walter when, in the throes of her anger, she'd torn him down and dumped him in front of his whole team. She knew that. But having nothing left to lose, she decided to play dirty, laying down the only ace she had left up her sleeve. "Ralph misses you, you know. He'd like it if you would get in contact. Maybe come and see him sometime."

Walter blinked while a muscle ticked in his cheek.

Bingo.

He scratched his face and straightened his shoulders, then gave her a frigid half-smile that froze her to her very core. "I don't think that would be a good idea." Walter turned his back to her, facing his white board once more.

When he said, "Give him my regards," over his shoulder dismissively, her heart plummeted to the floor and shattered.

What she failed to see, as she trailed out the door after Sly, was the fist in Walter's pocket clenching around her old nametag from Nemo's Diner.


	3. Chapter 3

**THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE**

 **AN: Again, much thanks for the reviews. You guys are the best! Here's the next installment:**

 **PSA: If you are on Twitter, please send a tweet to CBS asking them to renew the show. Tell them what it means to you and how upset you'd be if the series ends on a cliffhanger. Maybe we can be obnoxious enough to be heard? Use #ScorpionSeason5 if you can. Thanks, Cyclone. Together we are Scorpion.**

 **Oops! Almost forgot. I blatantly ripped off certain lines directly from the show. They aren't mine. You can tell, because if I was a show writer, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now.**

 **oooooooooo**

Paige shook her head. Focus. She needed to focus.

She took a sip of her coffee and tasted the cinnamon on her tongue.

Why was her preference for cinnamon coffee considered 'normal'? Not everyone liked it. In fact, she used to be the only one in the office who drank it that way besides... Never mind.

But why was his fondness for fermented fish considered weird? Who exactly got to decide these things?

' _I can't act like I normally act. I-I can't say what I normally say. I can't even eat what I normally eat if I want people to be okay around me.'_

Paige told herself to 'stop it' as sternly as possible. She needed to concentrate on placing the order for office supplies.

Counting pens and boxes of staples was not her favorite task. She was finding it especially tedious that day. And at that particular moment, boredom was not her friend.

' _I'm nervous to be alone with you_.' ' _My biggest fear is being alone in a restaurant with you, droning on about genius things then looking up and seeing boredom on your face.'_

' _For the record, I could never be bored of you.'_

Did she really tell him she was tired of his science lectures on the beach after he opened up with her about one of his biggest fears? It was her idea for him to open himself up to people in the first place.

 _'Uh, you know what else would be welcome? And something you might find that is, uh, efficient and rewarding... is opening up a little bit and sharing with other people, instead of just with yourself.'_

Super. Very rewarding.

Paige gasped against the sudden onslaught of unwanted emotions. She was unable to read the reorder number on the box of coffee filters through the tears blurring her vision. Damn it. She couldn't see it.

' _All I see the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.'_

Rolling her eyes up toward the bare bulb fixture in the ceiling and blinking rapidly, she bit down on her lip and tried to calm herself.

' _You're the calm I hold in my arms, the peace that I need…'_

If only she could be in his arms one last time. She might be able to hold on to her sanity, if she could just hold onto him for a little while. Hear him promise her everything was going to be alright.

' _I don't enjoy contact.'_

' _Do you want to curl up on my couch?' 'I was looking forward to cuddling with you…'_

He'd come so far. Improved so much. And she'd ruined it all with a few cruel words.

"Ground control to Major Paige. Come in. Do you read?"

Paige whipped around to face Toby who was standing in the doorway of the storage closet leaning on the jamb, his arms crossed over his chest and a wry smile pulling his mouth up at the corners.

She swiped impatiently at her wet face, before answering, "I'm sorry. I was miles away. I didn't hear you walk up."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Paige shook her head. "Not really. I'm just trying to keep busy. You know." She shrugged and attempted to give him a reassuring smile, but knew the effort failed miserably.

"It's okay. I've already dealt with one weeping co-worker today. I can handle it."

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry. Is Happy still upset over the adoption agency's decision?"

"Upset? No. She's pissed off. To be rejected as prospective parents because both of us just started new jobs? We're trying to adopt, not buy a car. Right now she's using company time and equipment to research other agencies. Don't tell the boss."

"My lips are sealed." This time her smile was genuine. "So the other weeping co-worker?"

"Well, it wasn't Cabe."

"Sylvester again, huh?" Paige shut her eyes briefly on a sigh. "I'll talk to him."

"That's probably not a bad idea, but how 'bout we address what's going on with you first?"

Paige glanced down and made a notation on the order form. "I'm… fine. A little worried about Ralph, that's all."

"Mmm hmm. Sure. Passing over that obvious evasion for now, what's going on with Ralphie boy? Is he having a hard time adjusting to the new circumstances?"

"Yes. I'm sure that's all it is. He hasn't said anything. I've asked a few times if he wanted to talk about it. He always assures me he's okay. But his appetite has decreased. Quite a bit. That concerns me. He's listless and quieter than normal. Even for him. And he's constantly buried in what he's calling math homework. He doesn't take the time for much else."

"Not untypical of a teenage boy to clam up and bury himself in a safe zone, in this case math, when something is bothering him. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"If you wouldn't mind. That would be great."

"It's what I live for. Will he be in this afternoon?"

Paige nodded. "Yes. And Toby? Thank you."

"De nada. Now, about the enormous crate of sweating dynamite all of us are tip-toeing around and afraid to touch? It's okay if you miss him. I miss him too."

"Oh, Toby. I think we've lost him for good. What have I done?"

oooooooooo

Clever bastard.

Yes, Ralph knew lots of words like that. He'd picked up most of his colorful internal vocabulary from Cabe. And right now he wanted to swear the air blue.

The sun beat down intensely on the top of his dark hair, making him wish he could move to a spot with more shade. But this stone picnic table was in a secluded corner behind the main dining hall on his college campus and he didn't want anyone nosing around. He knew most people would be too dumb to figure out what he was working on, but he wasn't taking any chances.

So far, Walter hadn't detected Ralph hacking into his devices. But he hadn't made them easy to access, that was for sure. The boy genius still hadn't managed to crack the decryption key for his private email account. But he was close.

He'd gotten into some of the other folders yesterday. Walter appeared to be working on a formula. It had components of a nuclear fusion equation. What the hell was he doing? And for whom?

oooooooooo

Walter stared at the blinking cursor. He had to be sure his wording was exactly right. There was absolutely no margin for error. He couldn't tip him off.

Walter hated using the lumbering dinosaur computer at the UCLA library, but he had to be positive the IP address couldn't be linked to either of them. Of course public access also meant it was less secure in general. But he was confident the encryption would add the extra layer of protection required.

Considering every word carefully, he began to type.

 **True Man:**

 **Your prompt response to my last correspondence produced a favorable outcome. I believe I've found the missing piece of the puzzle. You can understand why I'm hesitant to send it via electronic means. As careful as we've been, there's still a remote chance it could be intercepted.**

 **As to the other matter we discussed, while I appreciate your input, I think plotting revenge is completely unnecessary. It would be a considerable waste of energy and effort best used elsewhere. I have relegated my old team to the past where all of my failed experiments belong. We must learn from your prior experience. The logical course would be to allow my mind to be fully occupied by the project we've undertaken and not divide my attention to such a frivolous distraction as vengeance. We should internalize what lessons we can from past mistakes and move in a forward direction instead.**

 **Referring back to the former, more important subject, if we want to advance from the theoretical phase to the practical application, you might consider agreeing to meet with me in person. While I understand your reluctance, it may be the only way to fit all the puzzle pieces together and conduct trials. We would, of course, want to select a location to ensure us both utmost privacy. I can share my latest findings at that time.**

 **I'll await your thoughts,**

 **-Open Hammer**

Walter was sweating profusely by the time he closed the letter. He read and reread it several times, combing it for even the smallest errors.

Before he could change his mind, he sent a blind copy to himself and hit send.

He sincerely hoped Paige's lessons in lying paid off.


	4. Chapter 4

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

The sheer curtains billowed in, drifting on a breeze that smelled fresh like rain. Thunder rumbled quietly in the distance.

His fingertips traced across her bare skin, skimming lightly, teasing her gently awake.

His solid warmth was at her back, his lips against her neck, whispering her name like a benediction; his breath branding her ear with hushed words of wanting. Longing for her. Only her.

A flicker of lightening and a glimpse of dark eyes filled with love. His face speaking of wonder and admiration. His expression shouting emotions he was unable to convey as his hands memorized each naked curve.

Seeking and finally, finally fitting perfectly together. Bodies joining rhythmically. Yin and yang. Heat and driving need rising up, building until it was raging, until she thought she might burn up.

Blessed release as the rain started to fall, lashing the windows. Damp and clinging to him, she fell too. Into peaceful sleep.

Paige woke up looking everywhere for Walter, trying to recapture the rapidly dissipating serenity of the dream. She found the other side of the bed cold and empty instead. Her search turned almost frantic until, fully awake, she gave up and hugged the extra pillow, the one that still smelled faintly like him, against her chest and sobbed.

As she calmed, her thoughts wandered. He'd never attempted to talk science when they were in bed together. That was for sure. They'd always been in perfect, gratifying harmony in the physical department.

She sat up, letting the covers slip to her waist, the cold night air on her flushed skin causing her to shiver.

Walter never had the same experience with anyone else. He'd never been able trust anyone else enough to let them in that far before. Why was she worried about one more person stimulating him intellectually? Plenty of people had done that for him in the past. That wasn't why he needed her in the first place. That wasn't why he'd fallen in love with her.

She was the only one who stimulated him emotionally. Paige made Walter _feel_. In return, no one had ever loved her so completely. And she'd rejected him. Made him feel inadequate because her feelings were hurt and she felt like a fool.

Her tears drying, she flopped back down and stared at the ceiling.

There had to be a way she could use that to seduce Walter back from that evil bastard Collins. And maybe convince him to give her another chance in the process.

oooooooooo

During the day, it was easy to distract himself. The work was complicated enough to require his full concentration. He was grateful for that at least.

But when his body and mind were pushed to the limit and screamed for rest with the alternative being an unwise trip down the rabbit hole, _that_ was when the grief and pain would catch up to him.

The former Scorpion leader deeply regretted having to alienate Cabe. He'd proven loyal and caring in the face of Walter's mistakes, bad decisions, and poorly-chosen retaliatory words said out of anger and hurt. But he refused to endanger the older man, so he'd cut ties when the Homeland agent transferred to Centipede. It was for the best even if Cabe might never understand or forgive him for doing this alone.

Once, he briefly considered calling Dr. Rizzuto just so he'd have another human to talk to. To help him process. The counselor was strange, but he'd helped Walter work through a few things on other occasions.

If Collins ever found out, however, it would ruin all of the carefully constructed plans. And he _would_ find out. Somehow. He always did. Logically, Walter knew Mark wasn't omniscient, but when one had genius of his caliber with no scruples to curb him, not much was beyond his scope.

So, deep in the night, when Walter frequently had trouble sleeping, he forced himself to do something to combat Mark Collins' constantly present voice in his head. The sociopathic genius had a real gift for mind games.

Walter began writing coded letters to everyone. All those he hurt. All those who hurt him. All those who once claimed to love him. All those he still loved.

At first it was just something to argue through and reason against the seeds of anger and betrayal Mark planted and nurtured in Walter's mind about his former teammates, but it soon became an outpouring of his feelings for them and about them. Good memories they'd shared together. Reasons he was proud of them. Things he'd learned from them. Reasons he was grateful for their influences. Things he hoped and dreamed for their futures. And finally what qualities he loved most about them. He saved Paige's for last because it was the longest and most painful to write.

No one would ever read them, but it was enough to remind him why, in spite of their differences and disagreements, Walter would always be thankful he met them and he would never want anything but the best for each them. It helped to lessen the sting of their abandonment. And the added benefit was, it showcased exactly why he wasn't anything like Mark Collins.

Walter was both relieved and apprehensive when Collins had finally agreed to meet with him in person. It would all be over soon.

oooooooooo

Ralph frowned at the final solution to the equations he discovered on Walter's computer. What was their significance…? Then it dawned on him. GPS coordinates. When you put them together, they were GPS coordinates plus a time and date.

Wouldn't Walter be surprised to find Ralph was waiting there for him?

He would map them as soon as he translated and read the other documents. The ones Walter had written in binary code and hidden like Easter eggs, unobtrusively woven into the background of other non-essential programs.

In the absence of his mentor and the man he considered his dad, this challenge was the most mentally engaging activity the boy genius had enjoyed in weeks. It kept his mind occupied. And he was grateful for that at least.

He didn't want to dwell on the mess that was Scorpion. The mess that was reflective of the systematic implosion of his entire home life and his hopes and wishes for his family's future.

ooooooooooo

"Hey, kid," Happy said, taking the seat next to Ralph in the conference room.

She tossed a grease-stained bag from a local burger stand on the table beside his laptop and popped the top on a can of orange soda. She slid the drink in front of the boy and pulled another one from her jacket pocket.

He closed the computer with a snap and glared at her uninvited intrusion.

The mechanic ignored the dirty look and pitched a burger over next to his soda. "Whatcha workin' on?" She asked casually. She unwrapped her own sandwich and took a healthy bite.

"Nothing," Ralph replied sullenly, not meeting her eyes, "Just some math homework and... other stuff."

The smell of the food made him realize he was ravenous. He hadn't eaten since… He couldn't remember for sure. Probably the previous night.

His fingers were shaking as he tore off the wrapper.

Happy used a napkin to wipe her chin then took a couple slurps of her soda and burped loudly, making Ralph smile for the first time in what felt like forever.

"That's more like it." She bumped her shoulder against his. Glancing around, Happy said, "I can't stand this sleek décor in here. And the weird water colors on the walls? Way too froufrou and girly for me. I prefer crumbling bricks, rusting support beams and mismatched furniture. You?"

Ralph was alarmed when his eyes filled. Looking down at his lunch, he nodded solemnly.

Thankfully, Happy pretended not to see the tears. "It sucks. I know it sucks. Especially when you're a kid and you can't control the stupid things the adults in your life decide to do. I just want you to know I hate this whole thing as much as you. I'm on your side. Okay?"

Without looking at him, she handed him one of the clean napkins and they both dabbed at their wet eyes.

 **AN: I admit it. I bawled like a baby when I wrote the Happy/Ralph scene. As much as I hurt for Walter, at least I can see he has some fault in all this. Ralph is completely innocent and is only collateral damage while having to deal with the fallout.**

 **I can't say enough how much I appreciate the response to this story. The whole thing is helping me process.**


	5. Chapter 5

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

"I'm saturated in goat urine," Sylvester groused, swiping ineffectually at the stains on his tan sweater vest and shivering in revulsion.

"Suck it up, buttercup. At least you don't have a cracked scapula like I do, thanks in large part to _your_ screwed up calculations!" Toby retorted, giving the human calculator a disgusted look.

"My calculations were based on the information I was given. I was as precise as I could be under the circumstances. It's not my fault Happy can't estimate the weight of elements as accurately as..."

"Shut the hell up. Both of you," Happy told them rudely as she picked the soiled hay out of her dark hair, "I did the best I could in the nanoseconds I had to spare before the pipe bent under the pressure and fell on Toby. I'm not as fast at thinking up solutions in the nick of time like…"

"All of you stop and let me think a minute," Paige snapped, "We have much bigger problems than dirty clothes and hurt shoulders."

"Oh, that's right, everyone. Keep it down so the non-genius person with the lowest IQ on the team can think up a way to get us out of this mess," Toby said in a loud, exaggerated whisper.

"I don't see you contributing anything useful," Paige retaliated, offended, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's your brilliant solution?"

"We need to get in touch with Cabe somehow?" Sylvester suggested unhelpfully, causing the other three to glare at him.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," Toby sneered. "How do you propose we do that in this technological blackhole? They don't even have electricity here, let alone cell towers."

A filthy, tired Team Centipede huddled arguing in the middle of the pitted, dusty road on the outskirts of some tiny, unmapped village in Ethiopia. It was the first big case they'd attempted to tackle outside the United States. And the whole thing turned out to be an unmitigated disaster from the very beginning, in spite of all their careful planning. It was never more evident they were lacking both Walter's IQ and his ability to think on his feet, not to mention his skills at taking charge in a crisis.

At first they'd felt good about accepting a case helping a humanitarian group provide clean water to refugees in Eritrea, until a group of Somali pirates raided their ship. Not only did they steal the materials required to carry out their mission, they also helped themselves to personal items including passports, phones and import documents.

During their narrow escape from the unscrupulous bandits, Toby hurt his shoulder. It meant the other Centipede members were forced to assist the shrink to shore after they all jumped overboard, slowing their progress significantly. So, the current had grabbed them and they ended up near some back water port in Djibouti where they were chased by local authorities who mistakenly thought they were actually thieves themselves. Or they were corrupt and just looking for a bribe. A lot of the exchange was lost in the _lack_ of translation. Either way, they had to run.

The team managed to escape by giving all their collective pocket money to a goat herder who was hauling his new goats back from the market in the back of a hay truck. They had to bury themselves under the hot, prickly hay in order to ride undetected across the border into Ethiopia.

As if all that wasn't enough, they discovered their comms were lost or damaged beyond repair when they took the unscheduled swim.

Now they were stranded, unable to communicate and thoroughly screwed. And no one had any bright ideas. The sun was rapidly sinking. It was going to be a long night.

"I'm kinda wishing for the old logical dictatorship about now," Happy muttered to her husband as she helped to get him settled against a packed mud wall in an abandoned hut.

"At least we'd have somebody handy we could blame for our problems. I miss that too," He answered. Toby grimaced when he jostled his injury.

Paige sighed and bit out, "You can say his name, you know. No one is going to go into hysterics if we say it out loud. Walter. Waaaalter. _WALTER_. There. See? No one died or had a seizure. Yet. And yes. I wish he was here too. Okay? Now, if we can find another human in this hellhole of a village, maybe we could barter for some food. Or at least some water. Then tomorrow we can put those genius brains to work trying to figure out how to get word to Cabe."

"Um. We have nothing to barter," Sly pointed out tiredly, "And even if we did, there's no telling if the food or water would be safe." He quickly added, "And that's not just the germaphobe in me talking. Contracting amoebic dysentery wouldn't be the best way to survive our present circumstances."

Team Centipede fell silent. Each of them lost in his or her own thoughts. All of them missing the old days with Team Scorpion and their friend and leader Walter O'Brien.

As the sun rose on the little hut, they were awakened by the rumbling of an engine and the crunch of tires outside. Knowing it wasn't a usual way for the village to wake up, Paige cautiously peered out the doorway.

"It's Cabe!" She tossed over her shoulder at her teammates as she rushed outside waving frantically.

"Cabe!" Paige called, running to meet the SUV.

The vehicle came to an abrupt halt causing clouds of red dust to puff up. The electric window buzzed down revealing the stoic face of the Homeland Agent, iconic aviator shades reflecting Paige's grimy, elated face back at her.

"Good thing I wasn't invited since this wasn't a Homeland case, because I heard you guys were in some trouble and might need a bail-out ride outta town."

Paige yanked open the passenger door and clambered in as the rest of Centipede crawled into the back seats.

"I'd kiss you if I didn't think you'd kill me," Toby exclaimed, "Timely arrival, Cabe!"

"I have never been so glad to see someone in my whole life," Paige breathed, "How did you find us?"

"Yeah, how'd you figure out where we were so quickly?" Sylvester chimed in, all curiosity now that the crisis was over.

Looking straight ahead at the road, the older man answered, "You won't like it."

"Why's that? Seems to me we'd love anything that would get us out of here," Happy said, frowning.

"Well, when you didn't check in... Uh,"

"Walter. His name is Walter. No need to avoid saying it," Paige sighed, leaning her head back against the headrest. "How did he do it?"

Cabe rubbed the back of his neck. "See that's the part you're really not going to like."

"Out with it!" A tired and overwrought Paige snapped.

"Remember when Ralph was kidnapped that Christmas at the cabin?"

"Not one of our better holidays as I recall. Spit it out," The Centipede leader prodded.

"That incident bothered Walter. A lot. You can imagine. He doesn't like the feeling he's out of control. And not being able to find one of you guys…"

" _What. Did. He. Do_?!"

"Before I left Scorpion, Walt told me he chipped you and Ralph… without telling you. In case something happened and he couldn't find you."

While Paige stared at Cabe in stunned silence, Toby whistled from the back seat. "Uh, oh. That's much worse than tracking someone's phone or keychain. Someone is gonna get it. Big time."

Paige finally found her voice.

"Of all the insensitive, invasive… I'm gonna _kill_ him," She gritted out.

But buried underneath the layers of resentment and feigned aggravation she had to admit to herself she was a little bit grateful and the tiniest bit touched. He didn't want to lose them.

Yet he had.

oooooooooo

Once Mark agreed to meet him, Walter spent three solid days thinking, trying to anticipate the man's moves and motives. It was another indication the two of them weren't much alike. Walter had a hard time thinking quite as deviously.

The other half of the specs for the device came via courier a few days before and Walter fashioned a working model wondering the whole time if it was wise to do so. He suspected Collins wasn't simply trying to sell it to the highest bidder as he claimed.

The plan was to have Mark Collins in custody long before they could complete the field test they'd scheduled, but if anything went awry, and the deviant genius made off with the schematics or the device itself… Well, there was no telling what he would actually do with it.

With all that in mind, Walter fashioned a few safety features into the design just in case. He only hoped they went undetected.

oooooooooo

Ralph resented having a babysitter.

He was thirteen, not three. Legally, he could _be_ a babysitter at his age.

At first he'd stayed with Cabe when his mom went to Africa on her business trip. But something went wrong, as it always did, and Cabe had to go rescue them or something.

So, he was stuck with Mrs. Baranski.

She was nice enough. But she was about eighty and her house smelled like an odd combination of baking bread, cedar and mothballs. Worse than that, she was suspicious of anything with a screen like it was being used to spy on her.

She wasn't entirely wrong. Ralph had to give her that much. Searches and programming preferences were being tracked and sold to advertisers all the time.

That wasn't the kind of spying she was referring to, however. She acted like she believed a brain-sucking alien was constantly feeding the public false information while scrambling the ability to reason. Come to think of it, that wasn't exactly false either considering the lack of integrity among the media.

But the point was, Mrs. Baranski forbid Ralph to so much as check his text messages when he stayed with her and he was getting antsy because he couldn't monitor Walter's devices. What if he and Mark Collins had moved up their meeting?

Ralph would never know because he was stuck playing endless games of Parcheesi and Crazy Eights with his ancient neighbor. Luckily, she usually conked out around nine.

He planned to stay up and finish translating the rest of Walter's letters. Then he would email them to the former Scorpion members. They deserved to know what they left when they walked out on Walter.


	6. Chapter 6

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

 **AN: I've been trying to get this edited and posted all day, but so many great stories have been posted in the last day or so and I've been reading and reviewing them instead!**

 **Thanks to all who review! Your comments and feedback mean the world!**

 **oooooooooo**

Ralph crouched behind the rusted metal steps leading to the catwalk of the old, empty warehouse. The only light in the room was from the moon. It's ethereal, silvery glow barely penetrated the high, dusty and cracked windows. Nevertheless, the boy had been careful to shuffle across the floor on old newspapers and other debris scattered around on the concrete surface. As dark as the dilapidated building was, he didn't want anyone to see his footprints in the dust. The men meeting here were both geniuses. They weren't likely to miss much.

He'd moved a couple of half-disintegrated cardboard boxes to the stairs and placed them strategically to conceal his hiding spot without disrupting his vantage. His position wasn't ideal, but it was the only cover the vast room provided. He was forced to make due with what was offered.

Waiting for Walter and the other man, who he was certain would turn out to be none other than the villainous Mark Collins, was excruciating, but Ralph made sure to arrive at least forty minutes before the rendezvous was scheduled. He needed to get there and find a place to hide well in advance of the meeting. He couldn't run the risk of not being ready if one of them showed up early.

Ralph was trying not to dwell on the knowledge he was about to be in a whole lot of trouble. He knew it before he started this whole endeavor. He probably wouldn't be allowed out of the house or be given access to any electronic devices for the foreseeable future, but, no matter the consequences, he was determined to put a stop to this 'partnership' before Walter could get in serious trouble.

It had been rather easy to locate where the predetermined GPS coordinates led and escape his ancient babysitter. After that, it was only a matter of slipping in the back of Happy's truck under the tarp with the rest of her gear. They never even knew he was there.

After what seemed like hours, Ralph heard the unmistakable sound of a car door slamming. Even though he knew his racing heart and irregular breathing couldn't possibly be detected from a distance, he felt like they were echoing through the emptiness of the huge room like a shout.

The beam of a flashlight pierced the dense darkness and played around the room. Ralph shrunk down even farther in his cardboard haven, instinctively trying to make himself as small as possible.

The boy genius' suspicions were confirmed when he saw the shadowy outline of Mark Collins come into view behind that flashlight once the beam was trained away from the stairs.

After making the quick check around, the man walked back out and stayed gone for several more minutes. The length of time Collins stayed gone might've caused Ralph to wonder if he'd left, except there was no telltale noise of an engine starting.

He risked checking the time on his phone. Walter was late.

Collins prowled back inside just as Ralph's screen went dark and he nervously made sure for the umpteenth time the cell was in 'silent' mode.

The man began pacing and muttering to himself, appearing agitated and more than a little deranged.

Where was Walter? What was keeping him?

oooooooooo

"So nice of you to finally join me. I was beginning to worry," Mark Collins said smoothly with no indication he was less than completely unfazed and confident.

Walter, on the other hand, was drenched in a cold sweat. Luckily, he'd spent many years suppressing and ignoring his unfathomable emotions, so he was adept at hiding behind an apathetic mask. He hoped that ability and the dark would effectively hide what he didn't want exposed. He stuffed his shaking hands in his pants pockets where his fingers immediately found a remote detonator and Paige's old nametag.

"Mark." He nodded coolly. "Even with my IQ and careful planning, sometimes traffic is unpredictable." Snorting without mirth, he explained further, "Believe it or not, I got held up behind a funeral procession."

"How apt," Collins replied, sounding amused. "There must have been quite a lot of mourners to have kept you this long."

"Yes. The deceased seemed to have more than his fair share of friends."

It was Collins' turn to scoff derisively. "Or people circling to make sure he was actually dead so they can divide up the spoils. Not unlike wild dogs wanting to pick the bones clean. You and I both have practical experience with so-called 'friends', don't we? Humans pretend to care as long as there's something to be gained. In the end, they never fail to disappoint."

Walter rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you almost sounded bitter there, Mark."

"Not at all. I'm simply pointing out facts in evidence. Your former teammates and your ex-girlfriend? I'd say they provide more than adequate proof."

Walter sighed, acting bored with the topic while he flinched internally from the direct hit. "Did you meet me here to discuss my old team or to do a job?"

"Oooh, touchy subject? Did I hit a sore spot?"

Mark's oily tone made Walter long to punch him, but he modulated his breathing, stared the psycho genius right in the eyes and answered calmly, "As I've explained before, I'm not interested in dredging up a past best forgotten. I'm looking to move forward."

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of suggesting otherwise. Okay, moving forward as you wish. The adjacent building is my only concern this evening. Our control test was a resounding success…" He laughed at his own joke, "Did you catch what I did there? It's a little sound wave humor. Since our invention uses sound waves to destroy...? Never mind. I'm anxious to see if the full scale model performs as beautifully."

"One question before we begin. I thought you told me the warehouse across the way was abandoned. But it's clearly being renovated. Care to explain?"

Mark chuckled. "I lied. You caught me. But there's no need to pretend you didn't thoroughly research the location. I know you better than anyone, Walter. We are alike, you and I."

"We have similarities. Yes," Walter reluctantly admitted, "I did do extensive research."

"Then you are fully aware my client is in fierce competition with the new buyer of that building. If the renovations are allowed to proceed, it would put a serious dent in my client's… bottom line. But did your research also tell you my client and his rival were once school chums and business partners? Hmm?"

Walter shrugged and shook his head.

"I'm betting you _are_ aware your old team is in charge of setting up the brand-spanking-new state-of-the-art security, though. Poetic, don't you think?"

Walter gave a sharp nod. "I confess I did know that."

"Sometimes we must destroy the competition before we are able to move forward. And you'll find there's a more than a little satisfaction in the tiniest bit of revenge. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone. This is the ultimate in efficiency. Something I knew you would appreciate."

Walter's blood pressure was rising. He couldn't stand another minute of the smug claims that Mark could identify with him, that the other genius understood him better than anyone else. He had to somehow bear up under it, however, and keep Collins talking until the US Marshalls could arrive. The bounty would pay off the rest of the second mortgage on the garage, but not if he couldn't stop the crime in progress first.

"Don't tell me you still harbor resentment towards Scorpion, Mark. It's not logical to hold a grudge. You escaped. You framed Cabe. You know the crippling debts Scorpion incurred trying to clear him. And you are more than aware the company doesn't even exist anymore. You should be over this by now."

"Oh, I'm no longer 'harboring resentment' as you call it. I just enjoy besting them. It's so much fun. You'll see. Besides, 'Team Centipede'? Ridiculous. That name suggests a major evolutionary step down from Scorpion. Now, are we going to waste more time talking or are we ready to test our product? A satisfied client brings in more business, you know."

Collins removed a detonator from his pocket, his grin turning maniacal.

"Walter! NO!" Ralph yelled as he sprang out from behind his staircase barricade.

All pretense of indifference instantly fell from Walter's face. Terrified beyond reason, he held up both hands in what was meant to be a halting gesture. "Ralph! What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous. You need to leave. Right now. Go!"

A petrified Ralph stared back, agape. Then he shook himself and begged, "Dad, please. You can't let him do this! The whole team is installing and testing the security system tonight. My mom is in that building!" Tears welled up in the young genius' eyes.

Walter answered harshly, "Ralph! Do as I say! Get out of here _right now_!"

"Well, isn't this interesting?" Collins drawled mockingly, crossing his arms. "One might even say touching."

When the boy stubbornly stood his ground, in a wild panic, Walter grabbed him and struggled to carry a kicking Ralph toward the exit. As he held the combative teen around the middle and dodged his flailing fists and heels, he whispered in his son's ear, "It's going to be okay. Stop fighting me. The marshals are on the way. But if they don't show up in time, I rigged the device to blow this building instead. Your mom is safe. The whole team is perfectly safe. Now, you need to get as far away as possible. If you really want to help, go get Cabe. Tell him what's going on. Okay?"

Walter finished hustling the now limp and unresisting Ralph out the door. Just before he shut it, he heard the boy whisper back, "What about _you_?"

He gave no reply as he closed the door and slid the bolt into place.

Completely shaken and unable to hide his gnawing anxiety, Walter took a deep breath hoping the dimness would conceal his residual fear. Then he turned to face Mark once again.

"Dad?" Mark sneered. "How special. Well. Where were we before that sweetly sentimental reunion?"

"I-I had no, uh, idea he was…" Walter stammered.

"Oh, yes," Collins continued as if Walter hadn't spoken. "We were just about to employ our newly invented sonar blaster at the opposite building and reduce it to rubble. Along with any… collateral inside."

"Listen, Mark. You didn't say anything about killing anyone. You only mentioned taking out a building. I didn't sign up for that."

"Oh, really? Then why do I suspect you weren't held up by a funeral at all? I begin to think you knew your old and traitorous pals were next door this whole time. I also think you repositioned the device to aim at this warehouse instead? Am I correct? I mean, why would you send the boy who calls you 'Dad' into danger if you know this place is safe? Nope. You went straight into panic mode. So _human_ of you, Walter. You're willing to sacrifice your life for what exactly? To spare that kid who isn't even related to you and the turncoats you used to count as friends? I will never understand why you insist on doing the noble thing. What have you ever gained from it? This is where you and I part ways." He dropped the hand holding the remote to his side, "Oh, and I'll be claiming our invention to use at another time at my discretion."

Mark was turning to leave when Walter pulled the secondary and only working detonator from his pocket. "Stay where you are, Collins."

They could barely hear the distant screaming of sirens. Too late. They were too late. And Walter couldn't allow the other genius to walk out. Just as he couldn't allow the device he'd helped invent to leave the premises. He could never live with the fallout no matter how Mark chose to use it. He would not have more innocent lives on his conscience because of something he designed.

Mark laughed outright. "Wow. You actually surprised me. How delightful. Up to this point you've been tediously predictable. I must say I had been experiencing a little disappointment. But it's suddenly gotten a lot more interesting. Well? Go ahead, Walter. Rock my world or watch me walk out that door."

Walter's hand was shockingly steady as he held his thumb over the remote. However, he couldn't keep his voice from trembling when he whispered under his breath, "Forgive me. I loved you. Please remember that."

Conjuring up a picture of his old team in his mind's eye, he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the button.


	7. Chapter 7

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

 **AN: If you're enjoying the quick updates and you want more, don't forget to let me know. Only one or maybe two more chapters to go!**

 **Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. You guys keep me typing!**

 **oooooooooo**

… _he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the button._

Nothing happened. Silence.

At first Walter wondered if the strong sonic waves actually ruptured his eardrums, rendering him deaf. But he felt no pain. His eyes popped open.

The skeletal frame of the building was still standing. It wasn't even shaking. Then he noted he could clearly hear Mark Collins' footsteps as he casually strolled away without a care.

Walter's stomach dropped. Did he mix up the detonators by mistake?

Suddenly, the door burst open and a very familiar, very welcome voice yelled, "Freeze! Homeland Security! Hold it right there, scumbag! I'm looking for an excuse to shoot your ass, so don't test me!"

Walter was so glad to see Cabe, he felt faint with it. Especially since the agent was backed up by a veritable army of US Marshals, all with weapons drawn and aimed straight at Collins.

Sagging to his knees, he dropped the remote from numb fingers, as Ralph elbowed and jostled through the throng and sprinted toward him. The boy threw his arms around Walter and hugged him hard, while the rest of the team was still attempting to dodge around the prisoner and his captors.

Walter couldn't tell which one of them was trembling more, him or Ralph. As they held onto each other, something occurred to the older genius. He pushed back a little so he could peer into that remarkable young man's face.

"Did you disarm the blaster, Ralph?"

The boy gave him a crooked half smile and nodded. "I've been looking at the schematics on your computer for weeks. It's not like it was complicated. Don't be mad, okay? I only hacked you because I was worried about you and no one was telling me anything."

Walter shook his head then let his forehead drop to Ralph's shoulder before whispering, "Thank you."

Team Centipede made their way toward the embracing geniuses, the father and son duo in every aspect except DNA, and gathered in a semi-circle around them.

Toby crouched down beside Walter and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, 197?" The doctor asked hesitantly.

Releasing Ralph, he replied tiredly, "I'll live. If you'll excuse me I need to give my statement to the marshals." Walter was unable to meet the gaze of any of his former teammates. It took all of his remaining reserves of strength to fight the sudden dragging exhaustion and straighten his slumped shoulders enough to allow him to walk away with a measure of dignity.

Walter didn't catch Paige's faint, "Wait. I don't know how to begin to thank you. Ralph told us everything…" He also didn't see her reach out for him or her hand falling back to her side, slack and empty.

oooooooooo

The letter was in outline form. It had bullet points. The topics were in alphabetical order.

And it was the most romantic thing Paige had ever received in her entire life. It didn't matter if it was actually her son who sent it. The thought, the effort and, most of all, the depth of feeling behind the words… It was all so utterly perfect. Like that unfinished song he wrote for her.

She had no idea Walter felt those things, much less acknowledged them. The concept was a little hard to reconcile with the man she dated for eleven months, but the style was so _Walter_. She treasured every line for that reason.

The first three or four times she tried to read it, her eyes were so full of tears by the time she was halfway through, she couldn't see to read the rest. But eventually Paige was able to finish.

The day Ralph sent the whole team those letters via email, there wasn't a dry eye in Centipede headquarters. That fact made Paige feel a bit less foolish for blubbering over hers.

She also came to the conclusion it was the perfect time to introduce an idea to the others, so she'd sent a quick text message extending an offer.

The very next morning after the advent of the letters, her hand resting on a plain file folder, Paige smiled as the team filed in to the conference room. She took special care getting dressed that day. She must have changed outfits four times. She spent more time on her hair and makeup than she had in months. She felt the need to look her very best. And now her pulse was skipping around with nerves and anticipation.

"Good morning, everyone," Paige greeted the others cheerfully. And why not? Today was going to be extraordinarily amazing. She hadn't felt this good since… Best not to dwell on the negatives. Not today.

Toby slouched into his chair and pushed the brim of his fedora up with one finger so he could give the team leader a once over. "Someone is chipper this morning. Wonder what that's about? Just a guess, but I'd say yesterday's letter must have done the trick."

"If you'll shut up for five seconds, I'll bet she'll tell us," his wife said as she thumped him on the back of the head, causing his hat to fall in his lap.

Sylvester pulled out his chair and sat. He was smiling, genuinely smiling, for the first time in such a long time. "So, what's the new business?" He asked curiously.

Paige took her time looking at each face around the table before she said, "We have an applicant. I really think we should consider hiring him, but I wanted your opinions first. So I decided we should do a group interview then put it to a vote."

She pressed a button the intercom. "You may come in now."

Paige opened the folder and passed out a stack of resumes. It kept her hands busy and gave her something to focus on besides the swarm of excited butterflies in her stomach.

When Walter walked in, the reactions were varied, but all of them were positive.

Instantly, Cabe got up and strode across the room. Giving Walter a one armed hug and slapping him affectionately on the back, he said, "That was quite some stunt you pulled the other night! Glad to see you, son. Come on in."

Toby grinned and added, "Hey, I'm all for hiring another crazy genius as long as we don't forget who has seniority in this company."

Happy jerked her chin in his direction and simply said, "Hey, Walt. Welcome aboard." She was a woman of few words, but her softened demeanor and quiet smile spoke of exactly how pleased she was.

Initially, Sylvester's mouth dropped open in astonishment, but once he recovered, he jumped up and ran over, hugging Walter before asking excitedly, "Are you really here for a job?"

Walter smiled ruefully at the group as he answered Sly's question, "Yes. If you all are in agreement. I'm currently unemployed. As you know, my last employer was thrown in jail a few nights ago."

After Sylvester and Cabe returned to their seats, there was an awkward beat of silence while everyone stared at him. Walter shifted his weight from one foot to the other and swallowed hard. "I'd like to say a few things before my interview. I-I wanted to apologize for anything hurtful I said. I was… not myself. I will try to learn from my mistakes and do better going forward."

"Hey, we all did and said things that day we aren't particularly proud of. I know I did," Toby conceded, nodding and glancing around at his friends.

"Ditto," Happy seconded before her husband continued, "And I think saving all our lives pretty much makes up for anything else that happened."

"I'm sorry I shoved you. I know most of what happened with me wasn't really your fault." Sly spoke up next, looking remorseful. "And I'm sorry about what I said too. I was… I was upset. Mostly not at you, but you were the easiest target. And I do understand my interests seem…baby-ish to some people. I'm the one Megan would be ashamed of," his words trailed off sadly.

Walter shook his head vehemently. "No, buddy. I was way out of line when I said that. I'm proud of who you are and my sister always was too."

Another loaded silence fell.

Then Walter broke it by clearing his throat and saying, "I-I, uh, understand Centipede is more democratic and you all share equally in the profits and have equal say in the decisions. It will take some work, but I'm committed to doing things your way." He rubbed the back of his neck when the room went momentarily quiet again. "Did-did you have anything you wanted to ask me?"

"Yeah," Toby said with a smirk, "Could we go back to the name 'Scorpion'? 'Centipede' sounds kinda dumb now that I think about it."

"If we did that, we could ditch the stupid shirts. They're butt ugly," Cabe threw in, ignoring Paige's mock-indignant 'Hey!'.

"Oh, and wouldn't the rent be cheaper if we moved operations back to the garage? I mean, this place is great and all. Very… clean. But we have to keep a handle on our outgoing expenses, don't we?" Happy piped up, helpfully.

"I think I could agree to those terms," Walter replied, smiling hopefully.

A beaming Paige asked, "Are we ready to put it to a vote?"

Hands shot in the air all around the table. Toby put both of his up to 'cover all the bases'.

Paige responded with a laugh. "I didn't even have a chance to ask a question. I guess this means it's unanimous."

She stood up and offered Walter her hand to shake, "Congratulations. You have the job."

Walter reached for her hand hesitantly, almost reluctantly, shook it quickly and immediately dropped it. His eyes darted to the others in the room. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"Could I talk to Walter privately for a few minutes? We have some policies and paperwork to go over," Paige asked.

"Is that what you crazy kids are calling it these days?" Toby said, waggling his eyebrows as everyone except Walter snickered like middle schoolers.

Paige missed the uncomfortable expression on Walter's face when she playfully punched the shrink on the arm as he walked by.

Everyone began to file out, patting Walter on the back or shaking his hand as they passed. Toby was the last one out. He turned and winked saying, "Don't forget to clean up after you 'sign each other's W2s', guys. Remember we want to get our deposit back on this place."

Paige blushed and rolled her eyes as she shut the door on the psychiatrist's mischievous Cheshire Cat grin.

And so, they were alone.

The alluring words of Walter's letter played through Paige's mind making her feel giddy and breathless. He was staring at his shoes. She could tell she would need to be the one to break the ice.

"You have policies I need to read over?" Walter blurted before she could start.

She couldn't help it. She giggled softly then stepped slowly into his personal space and picked up his tie. Boy, did she miss those ties. She might consider making ties office dress code. She bit her lip and let the tie slip slowly through her fingers until it once again rested against his chest. His breath caught when she patted it into place.

"Oh, I have some policies. But we can go over them orally," Paige said, her voice taking on a husky quality. Then she flashed him her best seductive grin. She'd always loved how easy it was to get him flustered.

Instead of freezing, Walter took a step back, appearing embarrassed and tense.

"Wh-what are, uh… Why w-would…?" He stammered. She missed that adorable stutter too.

"It's my policy that we should forgive each other and make a fresh start. Together. What do you say?"

"When you say together, do you mean in a…" He gulped, "ro-romantic way?"

Paige slowly nodded and stepped toward him once again.

He frowned and backed up. "Why would you want that? The way I am drives you crazy. I can't stop thinking the way that I do. I'd only bore you with genius stuff."

Paige went instantly contrite. She needed to remember he hadn't gotten a letter from her outlining all her feelings. "I didn't mean half of those things I said. I was mad and hurt and I lashed out. Even if I occasionally got frustrated, I didn't tell you when I should have. Besides it's just petty and small stuff anyway. There are so many things to admire and… and love about you."

When his face showed his skepticism, she slipped a copy of his letter out of the file folder on the table and handed it to him. His eyes went wide as he skimmed the contents.

"How? I-I didn't mean for you to read this."

"It was Ralph. Don't worry, he and I had a long talk about privacy and he's grounded for a good while from the internet and all electronic devices. But I'm so glad he sent that letter, Walter. It changed absolutely everything. I had no idea you thought any of that. Now, what do you say? Could we make 'us' official again? I think if we're honest and open with each other this time…"

Walter cut her off, "Is my job or my relationship with Ralph contingent on an affirmative answer?"

A frisson of fear passed down Paige's spine. For the first time since Walter agreed to come in for an interview, she was unsure if he'd want her back.

"Of course not. You are a valuable coworker and a good friend and role model for my son. I would never…"

"Then, I'm sorry. The answer is no."

 **AN: No flames, pretty please. I plan to fix this, but I'm still mad at Paige and I wanted Walter to break her heart just a little before I make it all better.**

 **Oops! Almost forgot to give credit where credit is due! Thanks to lookingforthestars for the letting me use the idea of Walter going to work with Centipede! It worked so well with this story!**


	8. Chapter 8

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

 **AN: A few of you were disappointed in the direction I went in the last chapter. I hope you guys like the tone of this chapter a bit better. I'm not letting anyone off the hook, believe me. That said, I don't hate anyone on the team. I don't want anyone decimated. My ultimate goal is to heal the relationships, get the team back to being a family and get Waige back together. And I'm trying to do all that before I go on vacation in _eight. more. days_. That's a lot to wrap up! **

**Thanks for reading!**

 **oooooooooo**

Walter stormed into the garage.

With a guttural cry, he turned and hurled his keys as hard as he could at the closed door. The key ring exploded and keys scattered in every direction, ricocheting off the brick walls and pinging like metallic hail as they bounced across the concrete floor.

Paige jumped and gasped, "Walter!" She laid a steadying hand over her pounding heart.

"Sorry," he growled, "I didn't realize anyone was here."

"Obviously. Is everything okay with Happy? Did something else happen after I left the hospital?" She asked, alarmed.

"No. There's no change in her status. Her lung was still punctured and collapsed requiring extensive, traumatic surgery. Her leg is still broken in multiple places and being held together with pins. She's still going to need months of rehab and physical therapy if she ever wants to walk normally again. And before you ask, Toby is still a wreck too."

Walter threw himself down in his desk chair and ran an agitated hand down his face. Scowling at a point somewhere above Paige's head, he shook his head and said, "This isn't working out. I can't do this."

She'd been idiotic to believe things would go back to the way they'd been before. She was counting on history repeating itself. Every other time they'd had a big blow up within the group, people said their 'sorry's and they all moved on in much the same way they always did.

This time was the aberration. Nothing was the same.

In the three weeks since Walter rejoined the team everything was weird and out of sync with the whole team but particularly between the two of them.

For starters, Paige and Walter treated each other very carefully. Their interactions, when they were forced to have them, were carried out with almost sterile politeness. As if they were strangers. As if she didn't remember what it was like to be loved by him. It was slowly killing her.

Then there was the fact they strategically avoided being alone together and succeeded most of the time. Walter participated in social activities outside work only rarely and solely when they included the entire team. During those occasions, when he wasn't off by himself, he mostly gravitated to Cabe and Ralph or occasionally Sylvester.

Walter spent most Sundays with Ralph. Paige was grateful for that at least. But to top off the awkwardness, when he came to pick up her son, he would routinely call Ralph from the car, so they could meet in the parking lot. On the rare occasions he actually came to the door, he would wait on the porch, refusing to come inside. Heaven forbid he would actually have to cross her threshold.

Paige tried to act like it didn't bother her. It was a very good thing acting wasn't her vocation.

"What's not working out?" She asked. Paige couldn't stand how timid the question sounded, but she didn't want to aggravate him further. Not when the slim chance of even restoring their friendship was so precarious.

"This! Me! I can't do this any more," Walter answered unhelpfully.

Paige could tell he was often biting his tongue and hanging back during cases. She thought it was safe to assume he was referring to those efforts. She could see his frustration mounting day by day.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific," she prompted anyway.

He sighed and glared at her, "I know you all hated me for making unilateral decisions. But the fact is, when there are seconds to spare, I can run through possible outcomes faster. I can calculate odds. I can think up probable solutions. And we don't have time to stop and take a damn vote or discuss the rationale! Next time the delay might mean someone dies!"

"For what it's worth, I think you're right. I recognize that someone needs to take charge and have absolute authority when we're in crisis mode."

"Your opinion doesn't help Happy very much right now," he grumbled.

Ouch. Paige swallowed the urge to bite back. She reminded herself he had good reason to be upset and impatient. Plus, this was the longest and most meaningful conversation the two of them had shared in a long while. She wasn't willing to blow it because he was being rude. Besides, in some ways it was rather nice to see the old Walter finally surfacing. She kinda liked that guy. Well, fell in love with that guy even though he drove her crazy sometimes.

She got up and strolled over to his desk, propping one hip on the corner. "Why haven't you brought this up at any of our planning sessions?"

His lip curled. "You mean our 'brainstorming' meetings?" The contempt was heavy in his tone.

"Yes, Walter. That's the purpose of those meetings. To see what works for all of us and to bounce ideas off each other in an open forum where everyone contributes. Why would you keep those thoughts to yourself?"

He scoffed. "As if you didn't know."

She crossed her arms and pinned him with a look. "I can't know unless you tell me."

"Fine. I don't want to be accused of arrogance, condescension or immaturity. I'm trying to show I _can_ learn and grow. Advance beyond the abilities of an emotionally stunted teenager. That's why!"

Oh.

There was barely a moment that went by Paige didn't regret her hasty words and the damage they'd inflicted. Apologizing hadn't worked. Explaining why she said them hadn't either. She wasn't sure what else to try.

' _You've had a lot of fits and starts with EQ, but you've always seemed to be on a… forward path.'_

She shut her eyes against the memory of another time he was worried about his emotional development and what she'd done afterwards to show him he was perfectly fine in her book. Why couldn't he recall that time instead of the hateful words she said in anger?

Because she couldn't help herself. Because it was there. Paige covered Walter's hand with hers. "I really am sorry. For what I said that awful day. I didn't mean it, you know."

It was a minor victory he didn't snatch his hand back right away. Instead, his eyes drifted shut and he paused for just a moment then slipped it out from underneath hers and folded his arms. The wounded look on his face was worse than the contemptuous mask that had been covering it. She only caught a glimpse before he got up and turned away.

"Hey, Walter. When Happy gets better, we'll discuss this with the team. See if we're all on the same page. Okay?" Paige called to his back as he started up the stairs.

"Sure. That'll help," He muttered to himself before tossing a sarcastic, "Have a good night," at her as he disappeared into his loft.

oooooooooo

Paige tapped quietly on the door frame of the hospital room before sticking her head around the partially open door.

The woman in the bed appeared to be resting quietly if not comfortably.

The whooshing from the respirator and the soft rhythmic beeping of the other instruments were the only noises in the room, so she whispered to keep from startling the exhausted man sitting next to the bed, "Hey. How is she?"

Toby's eyelids drooped drowsily over bloodshot eyes and the typical stubble on his jaw was leaning more toward turning into a full-on beard. "I've noticed she's a little less talkative than usual. But other than that there's not much change." He sighed and sat up straighter, "Sorry. She's going to be fine. Eventually. It's just hard to see her like this. Happy is never this still. I know they have to keep her sedated while she's intubated, but she would hate everything about it."

Paige dragged a chair over next to Toby's. "Look at it this way, if she's good and pissed off when they bring her out of it, she'll work twice as hard in therapy so she can get out of here."

She handed him the paper bag she'd been holding on her lap. "I brought you a change of clothes and some other necessities. Do you want coffee or anything?"

"Nah. Thanks. The stuff in the nurses' lounge isn't too bad and I've had more than I probably should've."

Paige's eyebrows shot up. "The nurses' lounge? How did you get the code to get in there?"

She got a classic 'Toby' look in return before he said, "Please. You forget who you're dealing with."

She slapped his knee. Then they sat silently watching Happy for a few minutes.

"Did you sleep at all? Do you want me to stay with her so you can go home and shower or sleep for a bit?"

"I slept a little here and there, as much as I could sitting up in a chair with people coming in and out of the room every hour or so. I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to leave her. She'll need someone to yell at when they wake her up and I wouldn't wanna miss it. Plus, since you brought me clothes I can slip into the residents' showers later and grab a quick one." He grinned tiredly.

Paige smiled and shook her head at his nonsense.

"I don't want to go home without her," Toby admitted weakly, the smile dropping from his face as he stared at the inert form of his wife.

"Oh, Toby. I'm so sorry this happened to her." Paige felt her eyes start to sting from gathering tears.

"Let's talk about something else less depressing, okay?" Toby suggested. "Um, how's 197 dealing with all of this? I'm guessing not well?"

"You guessed right. And how is that topic less depressing in any way?"

"It's not. But it will help me get out of my own head for a while. Diagnosing Walt is better than a book of crossword puzzles. Let me see… he's furious. He's acting like he's mad at the whole team. He wants to quit. When what's really going on is he can't forgive himself for letting this happen. Fundamental God complex. Blah, blah, blah."

"Got it in one. For what it's worth, he's not wrong. If we'd been quicker accepting his solution, we wouldn't be here. What would you think about putting him back in charge especially in those types of situations?"

The shrink ran a weary hand over his face. "You know I hate admitting this, but Happy and I have been thinking that's the way it should go for a while now. We've discussed it between ourselves more than once. Ever since the fiasco that was Ethiopia."

"Then why didn't you ever say?"

"You've met me, right? I have this weird resistance to admitting Big Brain is right about anything. He's just so damn smart and he knows it."

Paige sighed heavily. "I've noticed. He doesn't exactly corner the market on being condescending, does he? You love it when you're right and he's wrong and you don't mind telling him."

"Yep. I eat that shit up."

"Because you're intimidated by his intelligence?"

"Do you remember me telling you I was a narcissist? There's a bit of that too. Before I came to work at Scorpion, I was used to being the smartest schmuck in the room. Plus, Walter and I have some kind of twisted sibling rivalry for the center of attention as Cabe has pointed out more than once lately. Knowing about it doesn't make it easier to curb the tendencies. Kinda like your tendency to bail every time your insecurities rear their ugly heads."

"Whoa, there. Now you're stepping on my toes." Paige shrugged, "I wish I could disagree."

"Except this last time you gradudated from running to being downright vindictive, didn't you? I mean, you weren't content with simply tearing him down in front of all of us and leaving him, you set out to take all his friends and his business in the divorce too."

"Since when did we make this examination about me? I thought you were diagnosing Walter here?" Paige snapped, irritated.

"Fair's fair. I'm pointing plenty of fingers back at myself too. It's not like I tried to stop you or pointed out any of the obvious flaws in your logic. The vengeful child in me was giggling madly watching you systematically destroy Walter's whole world. I've kicked that stupid kid's little ass a few times since."

She sighed, defeated. "I know. You're right. He's still so mad at me. I was hopeful when I read that letter, but now I'm beginning to think he hates me."

Toby smirked. "No. He wishes he could hate you, maybe."

"How did everything get so screwed up?"

The two of them went back to watching Happy's chest rise and fall in time with the respirator.

Until Toby squirmed in his seat and cleared his throat. "Since you're in the forgiving mood because of my current circumstances, can I confess something else? I've had nothing but time to think while I was staring at these four walls in here and I've realized some things."

"I did let it slide when you basically called me a vindictive bitch. I mean, the truth hurts, but it's still true. Go ahead. Feel free to make me feel worse."

"No, Paige. This one's on me, not you."

Her eyes met her friend's and she could see the same regret she was experiencing. "Go ahead, Toby. I'll try to stay objective."

"I purposely gave Walter conflicting and downright bad advice when it came to you."

"What?!"

"Objective, remember?"

Her lips thinned, but she gave him a sharp nod, "I said I'd _try_. Go ahead."

"You already know about my yen to win. When it comes to Walter, I don't win in many areas. But I am better and more successful in romantic relationships than him. While he's completely clueless. I liked that a little bit too much. I spent years telling him he should admit how he feels about you. Tell you. Then when you were with Tim, I told him he should shut up and accept you chose the better man. I also told you not to tell him about what happened in space. I think I spouted some nonsense about it being catastrophic for him. I did the same thing to him with the white lie about what's-her-face. He was in agony keeping it from you. I told him he could either tell you and feel better but hurt you, or keep it to himself and keep feeling horrible but protect you. Guess which way he went. I'm even the one who told him to tell Florence about his dream in the first place. A lonely oddball like Flo? I knew she'd get the flutters over it. The fact is, I've discouraged you guys from being honest and open with each other. More than once. I'm not proud of it. I wish I could take it back. But the damage is done. I hope you can trust me to do better from here on."

"I'm not sure I can trust either one of us again. No wonder Walter won't let us back in." Paige whispered. She rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her face into her hands.


	9. Chapter 9

THROWN OFF THE SCENTIPEDE

 **AN: Here's the conclusion of the story for you. I hope it doesn't seem too rushed. It was either conclude the story this week or make everyone wait at least three weeks for an update while I'm out of the country or trying to catch up all the things that didn't get done while I was gone. I wanted to credit pamz with a snippet of something Paige says at the end of this chapter. She'll know it when she reads it. Thanks, my friend! Your 'rant' came in handy. ;-)**

 **Hopefully, Scorpion will be renewed for Season 5 by the time I write again, and I'll be in a better frame to write something fluffy or funny next!**

 **oooooooooo**

"So, I've been monitoring the readings from Cassi and I think there might be another solar storm this week. Obviously, it won't be strong enough to cause a black out in Southern California like…"

"Walter, do you hate my mom now?"

The interruption stopped Walter mid-sentence. He took a sip of his milkshake so he would have a second to recover and formulate a proper response.

"Of course I don't."

As if it was remotely possible he ever could hate her. As if every single night, while he struggled to find sleep, he didn't use the calming memories of her to relax, even though it was a poor substitute for the real thing. Even though those same memories hurt him as much as they helped.

They were in the midst of one of their typical Sunday visits. Walter would routinely pick Ralph up and take him to lunch. Then they would sometimes spend the afternoon at an interesting science exhibit one or the other had heard about. They always ended the day with an enjoyable time of working at the garage on one of several of their open projects. It was Walter's favorite day of the week and he always looked forward to it with anticipation. The previous Sunday they'd finally established a link with the Cassiopeia satellite.

The boy genius swirled his straw in his own milkshake, staring forlornly into the cup. "I miss doing stuff, you know, the three of us together."

"Me too," Walter conceded, reluctantly.

Currently the hours spent in Ralph's company were the only hours during any given week Walter could banish all the negativity in his mind and feel free to be himself. Things were still too awkward around everyone else.

He forced himself to quell his impatience with the topic. He knew he would need to have this conversation with Ralph eventually, he was just hoping he could put it off a little bit longer.

He cautiously added, "But it turns out, your mom was bored with me a lot of those times we were all together. I don't think we're… compatible."

"That's dumb and you know it! You miss each other. She gets bored by my 'genius junk' sometimes and she still loves me. I don't always like watching her stupid old movies either, but I like being around her anyway. And you know what else? Since you guys broke up, she's too quiet and she cries a lot. She doesn't think I see it, but I do. I think you're just being a big coward again." Ralph snapped, shoving his plate toward the middle of the table and crossing his arms.

A sharp-edged lance of hurt jabbed straight through Walter. It twisted something in him to know Paige cried frequently. He didn't want that. And he really hated it when Ralph was disappointed in him. He did his best to modulate his tone. "Ralph, you don't understand. It's not the same with you, because you're her son. Your mom is the one who told me she was only pretending to be satisfied with our relationship. I can't be what she needs. She said that. In front of everybody."

"Oh, so this is about your pride, then? Listen, I know Mom can be a handful. I also know she can say stuff she doesn't mean when she's mad or hurt. You _lied_ to her and hung out with Florence knowing it would freak her out if she found out. So she was both mad _and_ hurt. She can't help it if she gets scared because of what my father did to her. I'm not saying her reaction was logical or reasonable, but surely you can understand. I mean she's a normal." The boy shrugged, as if Paige's normality explained all of her irrational behavior, then he continued trying to make his point, "I'm not even saying you should've forgiven her right away. It's just… it's been months now. Months! And you have your company back. She told me the team voted to put you back in charge. She apologized too. I forgave you for firing her after you apologized to us. Why can't you forgive her and at least be friends again?" Ralph's tone turned wistful and pleading, his eyes begging Walter.

The older genius' resistance crumbled into subatomic particles. "I'll try," Walter grumbled, grudgingly, "I can't make any promises, though."

The boy's eyes lit up. "I know the perfect opportunity. There's a 'Welcome Back' dance at my school next Saturday. I want to go because this year I'll be at the top of the food chain since I'm going into eighth grade. Anyway, they desperately need chaperones, and I kinda said my parents might be able to…"

Walter tried to look annoyed or at least stern, but he knew it didn't work on Ralph. "You already volunteered me without asking?"

"Um, sorta. I told them maybe?" Ralph tried to look repentant or at least uncertain, but it didn't work on Walter either. "Mom has all the details. If you want to ask her about it."

Two pairs of genius eyes locked. The older one caved, looking away first, shaking his head and smiling wryly. "I'll talk to her about it tomorrow." Then in an attempt to prove he had _some_ authority, some control, he continued, "I'm only going through with this if she's one hundred percent on board. I'm not going to try to persuade her. If she doesn't think it's a good idea, that's the end of it. Okay?"

"Okay," Ralph answered, pretending obedience and biting his lip to keep the triumphant grin from spreading even wider across his face.

Walter nudged the kid's foot under the table. "Finish your milkshake."

oooooooooo

Walter watched as Paige skirted around the crowded cafeteria, dodging clumps of middle school kids. Groups of boys laughing like manic hyenas and shoving each other toward the girls. Groups of girls giggling and gossiping about those manic hyenas.

Why did she have to be so damn beautiful? It was unfair. It hammered away at him every time she was anywhere near.

Their eyes met. Hers widened in an exaggerated way, darting toward the middle schoolers as she shook her head. He felt his lips curve in response. He tapped his watch and rolled his eyes. Their mutual ability to communicate without words caused his heart to skip a beat. He was stunned to discover their delicate thread of connection was still very much intact.

She arrived at his side and yelled to him over the loud music, "I just did the bathroom check. I found one girl sobbing. It took fifteen minutes to convince her she would grow into her nose eventually. About the time I was done drying her tears, two ex-best friends walked in having a screaming match. It seems one of them committed the unforgivable sin of dancing with the other girl's crush. Never mind it was a whole cluster of boys dancing with a whole cluster of girls, the point was they brushed hands or something during the dance, then one of them texted the other from across the room and the fight was on. I may not make it another hour. How are you holding up?"

"Well, my bathroom check turned up a juvenile delinquent with a string of fire crackers and a lighter. Then, during my perimeter check, I stumbled on an interesting entrepreneurial enterprise," Walter yelled back.

"What was that?"

"There was a girl offering to give boys French kissing lessons for five dollars a piece."

Paige laughed until Walter added, "Ralph tried to borrow some money from me, but don't worry, I convinced him it would be a poor investment."

Her mouth dropped open.

Her shocked face was so comical, he found himself laughing quietly. In that same moment, he felt all the residual anger toward her drain away. Like a clenched fist opening. In spite of what transpired between them, he realized he still _liked_ her. She made mistakes, but she was basically a nice person. It felt so good to finally let it go, he winked at her.

She shoved his shoulder playfully and replied, "That's not funny." But her expression said otherwise.

They both briefly surveyed the room.

"I heard a rumor there's extra cake in the kitchen. I think we've more than earned a break. Wanna get outta here?" Paige indicated the exit with a tilt of her head.

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his hand and led him toward the double doors. His fingers grasped hers reflexively. Having her hand in his always steadied him before. This time it had the added effect of stealing his breath, consequently making him light-headed as he stumbled along behind her.

They slipped undetected into the dim kitchen which was lit only by a small ceiling fixture in the backroom and the exit sign in the front. At least the volume of the music was more tolerable in there.

Paige smiled and wiggled her brows when they found the cellophane covered plates arranged neatly on a tray atop the stainless steel counter. She loosened a corner of the plastic wrap and carefully pulled two plates out before replacing the cover. She handed him one of the cake slices before taking the other for herself.

While Walter was searching around for utensils, Paige swiped one finger through the frosting and brought it to her lips.

He froze instantly when she made a noise very similar to the ones she used to make when he would pleasure her with his mouth. He felt that sound resonate along his nerves and settle low in his belly as he went warm all over.

When Walter could breathe semi-normally again, he turned to look at Paige and found her smiling slyly at him as she licked the remaining icing off of her finger. Did she know what she was doing to him?

A slow song queued up and Walter had a genius idea.

He placed his untouched cake on the counter, then he took Paige's from her and set it down as well. He held out his hand, palm up, a question in his eyes.

She didn't even hesitate and one more time, Walter held his whole world within the circle of his arms.

They swayed slightly, shuffling in a slow circle, her head resting in the perfect spot against his shoulder, his chin against her hair. His eyes drifted closed and he breathed in the tranquility he'd been missing at the same time he was enveloped by her familiar scent.

"We always seem to end up here, don't we?" Paige whispered after a while.

"Yes. It's a fairly common occurrence with us." Walter huffed out a laugh as soft as a sigh, not wanting to break the spell. "I never danced before you. I'm even less experienced than the junior high boys out there. And apparently only slightly more mature."

Paige pulled away a little so she could look up at him. "Please don't say that. When I said it I was being deliberately cruel. I was lashing out."

He nodded. "You were angry and hurt and scared. Not necessarily talking factually. I know, Ralph explained it to me."

"You forgot jealous and insecure. I've got more baggage than LAX. I know you struggle with your EQ development and you do try. I'm sorry I ever said that."

"You've already apologized. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to accept your apology. I realize I'm not easy. I'm too much for most people to tolerate. I know that. I've been trying to process it all. I know I could have handled everything better. Believe me, I'm aware of my part in all this too."

Paige stopped dancing and backed up. Walter immediately missed her warmth and closeness. "Listen to me. I'm also sorry I rushed you. That letter, Walter… I was so afraid you were going to regress and become like Collins. Then when I read that letter I knew. I knew you were still you. I can't explain the relief. How glad I was. How touched I was. How it reminded me I fell in love with the person you are and I shouldn't expect you to change into the something you're not. How-how it made me remember exactly how in love with you I still am…"

The emotion in her eyes was so intense, Walter had to look away even as his pulse was throbbing and the blood was rushing in his ears. Staring at his feet, he answered, "I wrote those letters with the express purpose of proving to myself I wasn't Mark Collins. I nearly went there. Those letters kept me sane. I didn't intend for anybody to ever see them. But I'm glad you did if-if it helped. I-I also want to say again… I realize I was wrong to lie and go somewhere alone with a woman you already... I knew you wouldn't like it. I feel the need to reiterate the facts too. I never had romantic feelings or intentions toward Florence and I was unaware she felt anything for me besides friendship. I simply thought we enjoyed some common interests. Being with her never made me feel… like I do right now."

Paige took both of his hands in hers. "I know. I've thought about little else since I found out. The fact is, if a male chemist moved in next door and you had done the exact same thing, I might have been irritated about the lie, but I never would have… done or said any of…that awful stuff. Toby has been helping me work through some insecurity issues…"

Walter's made a face. "Toby," he said sourly, "You may not want to listen to his advice."

"Hey, Toby has been doing a lot of soul-searching since all this began and especially since Happy got hurt. He admits he wasn't very helpful to you. He's trying to make amends, Walter. He really is. You should give him that chance."

Their eyes met. Paige looked so sincere, Walter found himself nodding. She squeezed his hands and smiled at him sweetly, making his heart turn over. The urge to kiss her was nearly overwhelming.

Her lips parted on a sigh and her gaze dropped to his mouth. Just before he could lean in and oblige her unspoken request, she whispered, "Do you think you could ever give _us_ another try?"

Walter let go of her hands so he could think straight. He swallowed hard looking away from the temptation of her lips. The temptation that was _her_. "I…I don't know. I want to. But our initial hypothesis was correct, you know. The demise of our relationship did ruin Scorpion, at least temporarily. And-and more than that? It nearly… destroyed me. Any human progress I've made. I've been isolated nearly my whole life. I…uh, thought we were a _family_. Not just Scorpion. You and me and R-ralph. I didn't think… The thing is, I always thought if you love someone, you stay. You work through things even if it's hard or frustrating. Or they're stupid about… things. I know me, Paige. I'm going to make more mistakes. Big ones. I don't think I could survive it if you left me again. But, the truth is, I'm only just existing without you."

"I understand. I do. I'm afraid too. But how about this? I'm determined to fight for you, for us, this time. No one better ever get between us again or I'll mow her right down, got it? I want _you_. Only you. You're mine and I'm yours. Our biggest issue? Not telling each other the truth. I should never have told you lying was good. Never in our relationship. What I said years ago about open communication? That's where we went wrong. We need to be open and honest with each other. Always. We don't have to be hurtful to be honest, but it does hurt us when we aren't honest. We have to _talk_ to each other. No more secrets. I think if we do that, everything else will eventually work itself out. Now, do you think you could you ever trust me not to bail on you again? If I do, I give you my permission to come after me with everything you've got and drag me back again."

"Okay." At his small nod, her eyes brimmed with tears. Before they could spill, Paige wound her arms around his neck. He slid his arms around her waist and gathered her close.

She pulled away and looked him in the eyes again. Before he could take advantage of the position and kiss her like he'd been dying to do, she said, "Speaking of coming after us? The first open, honest conversation we need to have is about you chipping me and my son without my knowledge."

Uh-oh. They'd only been back together a few seconds and Walter was already in trouble. "I-I was, uh, only trying to keep you s-safe in an emergency, Paige. It's not like I tracked your every move…"

Paige stopped his excuses with her lips.


End file.
